Medusa face with long hair stares from lunette over central apse window of Romanesque cathedral in Piazza Grande

Framed Prints

Framed Print of Medusa face with long hair stares from lunette over central apse window of Romanesque cathedral in Piazza Grande

Medusa face with long hair stares from lunette over central apse window of Romanesque cathedral in Piazza Grande, Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Above sculpted floral architrave, medieval Latin inscription hails 1100s AD architect Lanfrancus or Lanfranco, calling him wise and learned. Duomo di Santa Maria Assunta e San Geminiano and its bell tower are a World Heritage Site A Medusa face with long, free-flowing hair stares out from the lunette over a 13th century AD Romanesque central apse window of the medieval cathedral at Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. The semicircular architrave above the Medusa carving is sculpted in relief with flowers, leaves, fruit and birds and below, a Latin inscription celebrates Lanfrancus or Lanfranco, the cathedral's architect or master builder. It describes him as "famous for ingenuity”, a “knowledgeable and competent director of works, governor and master”, and also as "wise and learned, renowned for his genius.” Lanfranco is obscure. He served as the cathedral's master builder or ‘Magister from c.1099 to 1110, but the Duomo is his only known work. A 13th century manuscript hails him as the "principal and supreme artificer of such an arduous undertaking”. A Romanesque sculptor known as Wiligelmo or Wiligelmus is honoured by an inscription on the cathedral's facade. He is also obscure, but Wiligelmo and his team were responsible for many distinctive carvings on the exterior walls and there are more on the cathedrals at Piacenza and Cremona. Numerous Po Valley sculptors and stonecutters were influenced by Wiligelmo's style. The facade inscription praises his skills: "Among sculptors, how worthy of honour you are is now shown by your sculpture, oh Wiligelmo”. The Cattedrale Metropolitana di Santa Maria Assunta e San Geminiano, in Piazza Grande, is recognised as one of Italy's most beautiful Romanesque cathedrals. The foundation stone was laid in June 1099, with the cathedral consecrated in 1184. More than 800 years later, in 1997, the Duomo and its soaring Torre Ghirlandina bell tower were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The cathedral is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and to Saint Geminianus, a 4th century bishop and patron saint of Modena who died circa 397 AD and whose relics lie in the crypt. D0634.A7577. © Terence Kerr

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Media ID 49199730